new beginnings
by tatty ted
Summary: Three years after leaving Goodmayes for Oxford, Shiraz Bailey Wood returns home. - —Shiraz/Wesley.


**notes** — set three years after the events of _keeping it real_.

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new beginnings  
_a diary of a chav fanfiction_

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She stands in the middle of the street that used to be so familiar to her and was now so strange. The cracks in the pavement were still present as were the rock solid chewing gum and the mindless graffiti covering the lamp-posts up and down the street.

It had been three years, give or take a couple of months since she'd last been here. A lot had changed since she'd left for Oxford University, it seemed everything had changed except for Shiraz Bailey Wood though some would say she'd grown more wiser since she'd been gone.

Wesley, _her _Wesley had married not long after she'd jilted him at the alter. He'd married no other than Carly Carrington, Bizzy's little sister. Shiraz knew it was bound to happen after all, Carly seemed way too interested in Wesley — all that friend stuff was a right load of bollocks.

They'd had a daughter together, they named her Amy-May and rumour has it, Carly was up-the-duff again.

Kezia also married. Clinton Brunton-Fletcher was a reformed character now he'd fathered Saxon and he wanted to bring up Saxton and Tiq, Kezia's daughter with Lunther to be respectable citizens of Thunderly Road. Oh the irony considering Clinton Brunton-Fletcher was the reason why Thundersley Road became a nightmare to begin with.

Uma was still working at the Casino and living in the posh flat in Chelsea. Carrie was still in a relationship with Bezzie although their relationship hadn't been without its up and downs, a bit like it was when they were teenagers.

As for family, Cava-Sue and Lewis had flown the nest, moved into their own house and were trying for a brother/sister for little Finn. Although little Finn wasn't so little anymore. Murphy, Rita and baby Isabelle were the only ones still left at home and mother wouldn't let her youngest fly the nest too.

Not until she got one of them back that was.

She pulls her suitcase to the front door, her stuff arriving tomorrow by van and took the key from her jacket pocket. The front of the house still looked the same, the same _beware of the staffy _poster that looked nothing like Penny and stepped into the house.

"Mum, dad?" She shouted as she closed the door and left her suitcase stood up. When she walked into the hall, the lights suddenly went on and all her family and friends were stood there, a smile on their faces whilst shouting;

"Welcome home!"

She wonders how the heck everyone's squeezed into the living room. Even at Christmas' it's a squeeze so she doesn't know how they've managed to fit the family plus most of Thundersley Road into the three up, two down house they reside in.

"Argh Shiraz!" Her sister runs up to her and plants a smacker on her cheek. She has to wrestle out of her sister's grip before she's suffocated and when she's free, she's bombarded with questions about Oxford and her degree and what she was going to do know she was back in Goodmayes.

That's a point, what _is _she going to do now she's back in Essex?

She slips out of her own welcome home party a couple of hours later, the party in full swing and the Peach Lambrella flowing. Of course, she won't touch the stuff, not after last time on New Years Eve when she was fifteen and she threw up after a glass and a half.

Tough since then, she's done some serious hardcore partying and built up an intolerance to alcohol.

She ends up in the park, the same park where it all began. Smoking cigarettes, skiving school, drinking too much alcohol, the strawberry nosed park keeper and rocking on the rocking horse with Carrie whilst singing the high bits in Mariah's song.

The park looks nice for the first time since Shiraz can remember. There's swings and a roundabout and actual equipment that works and haven't been thieved for scrap metal prices. She spots him at the swing pushing his daughter and she knows it's him.

He still looks the same after all these years and her heart skips a beat or two or three.

"Wesley Barrington Bains II." She says as she edges closer to the swing where he's near.

He looks up from his daughter's swing and his eyes fall upon the woman who left him at the alter, "Shiraz Bailey Wood."

There's a pause, "How are you?"

"I'm good, great thanks. Carly's pregnant, little boy, Wesley Barrington Bains III innit."

Shiraz can't help but smile although deep down, she's slightly jealous. She could've had all this with the man she loved; marriage, love and happiness. Instead, she chose to leave him at the alter, go to Oxford University and do her degree. She just wanted to live a little before settling down, discover a world outside of Goodmayes.

"Congratulations." She says although it pains her to. He must see the pain on her face because he grabs her arm and holds it firmly by the wrist,

"I'll always love you."

She looks down at his hand on her wrist and looks back up at him. They make eye contact and there's nothing spoken between them. Then without warning, she kisses his cheek and smiles softly, "Goodbye Wesley, look after yourself."

It's only as she leaves the park and walks home, hoping to slip back into her party unnoticed; she realises that mother's are full of wisdom. She remembers a comment her mother said about she'll regret not marring Wesley. She didn't think she would but she does.

She loves him and being away in Oxford made her realise how much. Still, she thinks as she slips into the party and grabs the wine glass of Peach Lambrella. She wasn't going to ruin another family's happiness to make herself feel better for what she put Wesley through all those years ago.

No, she necks the liquid in one, she had her chance. She blew it and now she's going to find another man worthy of being her husband. She stares at the contact in her mobile phone, presses the call button and puts the phone against her ear.

"Carrie I'm in the kitchen."

And as she puts the phone down, she pours herself another glass and raises it to the ceiling,

"To new beginnings." She says under her breath and necks the liquid in one again. This time it really was a new beginning

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**jottings** — i'm aware it's probably out of character but i love Shiraz/Wesley. like it enough to favourite? please leave a review;3


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